This family was such fun to photograph this weekend. Their little daughter is one of my girls’ best buddies and she was full of energy for her session. 
These photos refuse to be cropped into a 4:3 or 1:1 Instagram ratio…swipe to see them the way I saw them in the moment! Which one stopped you mid-swipe? I’d love to know.
The part of the vacation session no one talks about enough: outfits.
I`ve seen both ends of this, and honestly, both can trip things up before we even start.
The first version: everyone travels from different cities, nobody coordinates ahead of time, and things end up looking scattered in photos - especially when you can`t lay it all out together before the day.
The second version: matching outfits. I know the intention is good. But coordinating everyone in the exact same thing - jeans and white shirts being the classic example - tends to look flat in photos. A little stiff. Less like your family and more like a catalog.
The fix is simpler than most people expect.
Lean into neutrals and denim tones. These photograph beautifully in natural light, they work together without being matchy, and they hold up in a timeless way that won`t look dated in five years.
And when you book with me, I send you Pinterest boards I`ve put together specifically for this - coordinated looks that feel cohesive and genuinely beautiful without anyone having to stress about it.
One of the simplest things you can do to make sure your images look as good as the moments they`re capturing.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer
I almost didn`t post this.
Our country turns 250 this year. I was in the middle of editing a gallery when that number actually stopped me.
I have four kids — 6, 11, 15, and 17. I`ve spent years telling other families that childhood is fleeting, that these seasons pass before you`re ready, that photographs are one of the most meaningful ways you hold onto them.
I`ve said it hundreds of times.
And then I sat there and realized I needed to take my own advice.
So this summer, I`m photographing all four of my kids in what I`m calling Heirloom Portraits. Not elaborate. Not trendy. Just simple, timeless portraits that show exactly who they are right now — in the year America turned 250.
Because someday I want them to show these to their own kids and say, "This is who I was that year."
That thought made the decision easy.
I`ve opened a small number of spots for other families who`ve been quietly wanting the same thing. Details are linked in my bio.
The trip is already planned.
The people you love are already going to be there.
The cousins will be running in the sand. Someone will be wrangling the toddler. Your mother-in-law will have the snacks. And somewhere in the middle of all that beautiful chaos, you`ll think — we should really get some photos while everyone is together.
That thought? Trust it.
You don`t need a perfectly orchestrated session to get images worth keeping. You just need someone there to capture what`s already happening — the real stuff, the in-between stuff, the stuff that disappears faster than you expect.
That`s exactly what a vacation session is. Nothing manufactured. Nothing forced. Just your people, in a place that already means something, photographed with real care.
If your family has a trip to the Forgotten Coast coming up and that thought has crossed your mind — I`d love to chat. Inquiries are open in my bio.
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#ForgottenCoast #30A #StTeresa #ForgottenCoastPhotographer #FamilyPhotographer #VacationSessionPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BeachFamilyPhotos #GulfCoastPhotographer #FloridaBeachPhotographer #FamilyLegacy #PrintYourPhotos #MemoryKeeper #FamilySessionPhotographer #TravelingPhotographer
Mom post here:
I am teary eyed as I type this. Today was the last Elementary Chapel for this 5th grade class (my son’s class). During this “Legacy Chapel” they passed the leadership plaque down to the 4th graders as they prepare to be next year’s lower school leaders.
I am so proud of our current 5th graders. This class has navigated more than anyone would have ever imagined and they have a unique bond amongst each other on this side of those collective pains. They started Kindergarten the year of the pandemic and have seen firsthand the hurt of sickness and death in this fallen world.
Still, they are joyful, playful, hard working, and compassionate in a way that constantly surprises me. No doubt that God has great things in store for them; and our school community is beyond blessed to have each and every one of them and their families as a part of it.
Class of 2033, let’s go!
Memberships and Affiliations
Sarah Gray creates timeless and joyful images that are designed for living room walls and photo albums. A tallahassee photographer, Sarah Gray also serves Thomasville, Crawfordville, St. Marks, Gainesville and throughout the panhandle of north Florida and south Georgia.
email us | sarah@sarahgray.com
telephone (850) 321-0208
located in tallahassee, florida
